Odisha Elections 2024: BJD Demands ECI Action Against BJP Candidate For Using Govt Vehicle In Poll Rally

Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Saturday sought strict action against BJP’s MLA candidate for Mahanga Assembly constituency in Odisha Cuttack district for using government vehicle in his rally taken out for filing nomination recently.

A delegation of BJD submitted a petition in the office of the chief electoral officer in Bhubaneswar drawing the latter’s attention to violation of model code of conduct by the BJP candidate Sumanta Ghadei.

The BJD delegates said a vehicle belonging to the Revenue & Disaster Management Department of Odisha Government was found being used in the nomination rally of Sumanta on May 10. “This egregious misuse of a government asset for political purposes not only violates the principles of fair play but also undermines the sanctity of the electoral process,” they added.

The BJD leaders said the model code of conduct, which aims at ensuring free and fair elections, prohibits the use of government machinery and resources for electoral purposes. “By utilising a government vehicle in an election rally, the BJP MLA candidate has demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the rules and regulations governing electoral conduct,” they alleged.

Demanding a thorough investigation by the Election Commission into the matter to ascertain the circumstances under which the government vehicle was deployed for political activities, they requested that strict action should be taken against Sumanta for violating the model code of conduct and abusing the privileges associated with a government position.